The Tailgate Traditions

Some of you may be wondering where the MMQ Tailgates' traditions have come from...Well, some are old and the memories are fuzzy, others are clear and easily recalled...and I will try to recollect as many as I can here for you.

THE SPOT - If any of you would like to see where it all happens, you can join us for any home game. We are always there. It's the South West Corner of Hoover and Green just north of the stadium. We park right in the corner spot where we can watch the TEAM go buy in the Student buses, the band marches past on their way into the stadium, we can check scalper prices, and generally see the best pre-game activity associated with Michigan Football, short of paying for Victor's parking. The spot was originally a $10 spot where my Parents would drive in early on Saturday and my Father, a verifiable Michigan Slappy, would make his way over to our dorm and roust me and my roomates in predictable and not unexpected Frosh and Sophomore hangovers, asking first, "Did you get me two?" The crowd would then make it's way back to the tailgate where we would devour whatever my Mom brought to the game and that would be our meal for the day as we would also head back after the game and finish off anything left over. When the spot went to a season pass, we got on the list and after one year, we were able to get back in the lot. So, you could say that the MMQ and family, friends and acquaintances have been tailgating in the "Spot" for at least 30 years...

The Raising of the Flag - The Tailgate has a flag that was purchased at Ulrich's bookstore in the fall of 1988. I was looking for a really good flag and I kept coming across the 3' x 5' nylon flags...While looking in yet another box, I came across the 4' x 6' flag that now graces our tailgate at ever home game. It was real cloth, not nylon, and at the time, was the rich deep blue and yellow that true fans can appreciate. The flag was immediately purchased and has been a lot of places...

Rose Bowl 1987 - The Flag didn't make the trip....And we lost. So therefore,
Rose Bowl 1989 - The Flag made the trip shoved into the bottom of my Ski Bag...It's a long story, but my brother and I went with our family to Steamboat for Christmas and we went on to LA for the Rose Bowl against USC. Michigan won. The legend of the Flag begins...
Rose Bowl 1990 - Flag didn't make the trip and we lost....
Rose Bowl 1997 - I didn't go to LA that year. I know, we were playing for the National Title, had a Heismann winning Player named Woodson on the team, and earlier in the year, I believed we would be lucky to win 9 games. So I told my wife to go ahead and book a non-refundable trip to Key West starting on December 27th through January 3rd. Yes, I believe that act alone had a great deal to do with Michigan making the championship game that year. However, that's not the end of the flag story. We were driving to Key West, so the flag made it into the trunk. Upon arrival, my wife and I rented mopeds and I made a brief visit to the Key West Home Depot - yes, they have one - and I purchased a pole and some hose clamps to rig up a flag holder on the rear basket of my moped. So, for a week in Key West, we were the "Michigan Mopeders". While some of you may be laughing right now, I met more people, shook more hands, had more people honk and wave and yell "GO BLUE" to me on that trip than any other one I have ever been on. It was great.

That in itself would be a great story, but it gets better. On New Year's Eve in Key West, everyone, or almost everyone, on the key finds their way down to Duvall Street where they drop a Giant Conch Shell on the top of Sloppy Joe's Bar. So, while were standing there enjoying the revelry, out in the middle of the street about 1/2 a block down from Sloppy Joes was a Tennessee Flag. Now, I told my wife that we just can't have that go without some sort of crass, Michigan response on my part. So, I went back to our B&B and got on my Jersey (Yes, I have a Jersey - number 2 after the last Heismann Winner) and grabbed the Flag. I parked my moped as close as I could get to Duvall St., about a block away. I started making my way through the crowd toward the Tennessee guy. Strangely, the crowd started chanting, "GO-GO-GO-GO" as I made my way to the UT Flag holder. He was a good guy and high-fived me and we chatted for awhile and I then returned to my journey toward Sloppy Joes. However, amidst a bunch of the partyers, I was shoved to the ground and the Flag went down...I was more worried about the Flag at that moment and getting it back up off the street than I was concerned as to who pushed me and why. Again, try to imagine wall to wall people in the street and you get the idea. I thought the Flag could disappear and I didn't want to lose it or see it damaged. I raised the Flag back up and a Cheer went up that paralleled something in the Michigan Stadium. I was immediately grabbed from behind by a guy that slapped me and said, "GO BLUE! We took care of the guy that pushed you. Keep going!" I turned around to see some poor guy getting the crap beat out of him... Michigan Fan's are everywhere, my friends, and they are watching your back. I eventually made it back to my party and everyone was going crazy and wanted to know what happened and why the Flag went down. I related the story and needless to say, another Flag legend was born...

While it's blue is no longer as blue and the yellow is a little faded, the Flag has rarely let us down.

Shark Bait - I will let my Brother in Law Jeff share with you, in his words, the LEGEND OF SHARK BAIT....

MMQ,

Shark Bait was purchased by Steven or Griff on my wedding day (8/10/96) for beer as I said I'd rather have a cold beer after my wedding at the church vs champagne. Shark Bait mad it's first appearance in Ann Arbor on 9/13/97 for our victory over Colorado. Shark Bait saw many victories that year as 1997 was magical. Thus, the tradition of Shark Bait began. I should figure out Shark Bait's record at the big house.

Jeff

So, what is clear is that once something comes to a Big Game and "The Tailgate" believes that there is some mystical power associated with that person - object - tradition, well, suffice it to say that it becomes a permanent fixture in the mix. Shark Bait showed up at the first game loaded with Labatt's Blue and it is now never filled with anything but Labatt's Blue...On occassion, Labatt's Blue Light for lesser opponents...


Big Game - The origins of this tradition are also a little fuzzy, but the earliest recollection of "It's a Big Game" go back to at least our sophomore year in college. My soon to be college roommate Tom (in my junior and senior year)would walk over to our apartment and we would make our way down to the game. I remember a big OSU Game in 1985 and he brought Whiskey Sours because it was a "Big Game!". Big Game has been represented by different brands of liquor with varying degrees of proof over the years, the potency usually varying with exactly how "Big" a game the "Big Game" is....But traditionally, "Big Game" is a 5th of Jack Daniels. Don't ask me why, but that became the "Big Game" tradition. During the 1997 OSU Game, we went through two fifths of Big Game and purchased a 3rd after the Game, which also disappeared. We take our Big Games seriously at the tailgate.....So serisously in fact that a one time visiter bought his brother Alan, a Tailgate Regular, a Flask and had "Big Game" engraved on it - and all that is put in the Big Game Flask is Jack Daniels - That's how serious it is.....

On a side note, in 2006, before the first game, the MMQ was moving the Tailgate equipment out of the garage attic down to the main level and the Tailgate Storage Tub broke open and an unopened bottle of traditional "Big Game", Jack Daniels, hit the concrete and shattered in a million pieces....I quickly said a Maize and Blue Prayer to the Football Gods and confessed the Sin to the Tailgate Regulars...We all agreed that accidents happen and I acted in the most appropriate way possible. Then, the miracle of 2006 began, only to get drailed by OSU and then USC...So while were not completely sure the sacrifice was successful, it seemed to help initially, especially considering the dismal start to the 2007 season. We are now taking up a collection to sacrifice to the Football Gods one bottle of Big Game before every season....It just seems like the thing to do.